Within this last two decades, the wizarding world of Harry Potter has been introduced into mainstream media. It has come from an idea written on a napkin to a multibillion dollar investment that is still popular today. Though most assumed the world would end after the release of Deathly Hallows Part II, the last film of the long eight part series of Harry Potter, the fangirls and J.K. Rowling herself, the author of the septology, have kept it going with the release of the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and the upcoming five part series Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, one of which has already been released. In addition, the platform Potterworld has allowed an outlet for Rowling to release events and theories not explicitly told in the books and films. In addition, there has been the release of apps, the most recent: Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery.

Hogwarts Mystery is a game set between the time of Harry Potter’s birth and his acceptance to Hogwarts itself. However, popular characters from the books are seen roaming the halls as students like Bill Weasley, Charlie Weasley and Nymphadora Tonks. In addition, the teachers at the school remain the same as in the books such as Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape.  The story of Hogwarts Mystery follows the avatar created by the player as he/she goes through their time at Hogwarts all the while attempting to restore his/her family name after his/her brother was expelled from Hogwarts. The story allows the characters to go through “classes” where they learn popular spells and potions that are well known among fans of the books/movies. Whether saying “wingardium leviosa” in Charms class or creating a cure for boils in potions class, the game is reminiscent of the memories from the world that the fans love.

The game itself is very Sims like in its actions, meaning that the characters go through “events” where they only have available to them a certain amount of energy. When this energy is used up, they must wait a certain period of time before it recharges.

While the game itself has a good concept, one thing that is missing is personalization. While the players have the opportunity of customizing their characters, the story line across the board is the same which creates some confusion when the characters act uncharacteristically.  For example, the player is allowed to choose their own house (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin and Ravenclaw). Each house holds a different set of personality traits, however. For example, the Gryffindors are known for bravery while the Hufflepuffs are known for loyalty. These different personality traits, however, hold no pivotal part of the story line, except for the colors on the individual robes. The “villain,” a Slytherin student by the name of Merula, is a constant thorn on the main characters side. Yet, if the main character were to be a Slytherin, this type of relationship would not be possible on account to how the interactions are in the source material as the Slytherin house hold a certain integrity towards their own members. While it is understandable as to why the story lines and people are all the same, there leads to a certain want for uniqueness. Overall, this is one of the only downfalls the game itself presents.